Page 2 of My Bounty Hunter is a Demon (Demons for Hire)

2

DORIAN

The flickering glow of enchanted torches danced across the cold stone walls of Laris’ private meeting room under his mini mansion of a cabin. The cult leader spared no expense for his own comfort. Meanwhile, all his followers lived in shacks around the compound with the bare essentials needed to survive. Some didn’t have everything they needed. It was the way Laris operated. Keep his followers totally dependent on him. That was just one of many reasons the asshole needed to be taken down. That was why I was there undercover, gathering information to finally lock Laris up for good.

The meeting room was a cavernous space with a high ceiling and stone walls. A faint hum of dark magic buzzed in the air like a swarm of restless insects. I wasn’t a stranger to dark powers. My family was a mix bag when it came to magical talents. I had necromancy powers and witch magic. It was that dark death magic that got me inside the Blackman Coven, aka the evil cult.

I sat motionless in the semicircle of enforcers, my black combat gear blending seamlessly with the others. The symbol of the Blackman Coven was embedded into the wall behind Laris’ high-backed chair. It was a coiling serpent wrapped around a staff, its fanged mouth open in a silent hiss. It wasn’t very original, but whatever. No one asked my two cents about the design.

I kept my expression masked with indifference, but my stomach churned with sickening unease. Months of infiltration had brought me here, where the line between loyalty and deception was so thin it could snap at any second. Laris trusted me now—or at least trusted the persona I’d carefully crafted. Damian Hart. The name was one I’d worn like a second skin, and it had earned me a place among the most dangerous men in the cult.

Laris leaned forward, his skeletal frame unfolding from his chair. His ink-black eyes gleamed with an unnatural light, and the air around him crackled with the faint hum of magic. His long, spindly fingers steepled together as he surveyed the room, his lips curling into a knowing smirk. The smile was a thin, mirthless thing, but it carried a weight of menace that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

When Laris spoke, his voice was smooth as soapstone. “Tonight, we discuss the future. And the future is very near.”

I shifted slightly, the movement deliberate and controlled. I kept my posture relaxed, my expression bland. It was a careful performance I’d perfected over months of lying and scheming. The other enforcers watched Laris with unwavering devotion, their faces blank. They were killers, every one of them, and their loyalty was as deep as it was dangerous.

The meeting began with the mundane—weapon stockpiles, supply runs, the next shipment of rare spell components. I listened and nodded occasionally, a silent mimicry of the men around me, all the while cataloging every detail. This was what I’d been waiting for—the moment when Laris would reveal enough to bring him down.

Then, without warning, Laris’ tone hardened, sending a ripple of tension through the room. “Now, my pet project.”

My gut tightened. I’d suspected and had pieced together fragments of rumors, whispers of missing children and dark rituals. A lot of these rumors I’d researched and were able to find the truth in them. I knew this cult wasn’t the first one Laris had started. He was at the top of his delusional world about ten years ago, before it was dismantled. After all, it was why I was here. My eldest sister, Geri, had gotten a call from a coven not far from the cult compound about a few kids that had gone missing. I hadn’t yet found the children, but I knew they were there somewhere.

“There’s a shipment arriving soon,” Laris continued, his voice dripping with anticipation. “Three children are highly gifted.”

Cold, hard fury rose in my chest. I clenched my teeth, the pressure building in my jaw until it ached. These were innocent children being torn from their safe lives and dragged into this twisted world.

“My second-in-command has already confirmed their potential. One of them is a demon,” Laris added.

The energy in the room grew heavier. I didn’t dare react, didn’t dare let my mask slip. I kept my eyes on Laris, my expression unreadable, but inside, I was seething. The thought of what Laris planned to do with them made my blood run cold.

One of the enforcers shifted, his voice breaking the tense silence. "A demon?"

Laris nodded, his smile widening. "Yes. An incredibly rare find. Their power, once properly harnessed, will be unlike anything we've ever seen."

Another enforcer spoke up. "And what do we do with them?"

Laris chuckled, the sound low and menacing. "Train them. Mold them. Prepare them to level the playing field. Shifters, witches, vampires—they will all fall. We start with the shifters. Specifically, the Drach Clan."

My stomach clenched at the name. The Drach clan was a small family of dragon shifters. They owned a private security and intelligence company named Drach Security. The company was known for taking down supernatural threats. They also provided security and bodyguard services for high-profile humans. I had heard of them, although I’d never worked with them directly.

Several minutes later, the meeting adjourned. I rose from my seat as the other enforcers dispersed. As I turned to leave, Laris said, "Damian."

I turned slowly, meeting Laris' black eyes, which seemed to bore into my soul. The cult leader's gaze was unnerving, a cold, calculating scrutiny that made my skin crawl. "Yeah?"

Laris studied me for a long few moments. "I want you on the retrieval team for the children. You'll see firsthand what kind of power we're dealing with."

I pushed down the surge of fury that threatened to boil over. I couldn't let my emotions slip, not now, not when I was so close to the truth.

I nodded once, a single curt movement. "Thank you, Alpha."

For some fucked-up reason, the cult leader wanted everyone to call him Alpha even though he wasn’t a shifter. Laris used pack hierarchy to rule the compound.

Laris’ smile widened as he watched me for a moment longer, then turned away, dismissing me with a wave of his hand.

I walked quickly, my thoughts a storm of strategy and rising urgency. I had to act soon to stop Laris before it was too late. The shipment of children was imminent, and once they were in the cult's hands, there would be no going back.

As I made my way to my shack of a cabin on cult property, the wind shifted, carrying with it a faint rustle of leaves. My instincts flared with a sharp, primal warning that I was being watched. I stopped in my tracks, my head snapping toward the tree line. For a moment, there was nothing, just the dark, silent woods. Then, a shimmer in the air, a faint ripple that betrayed the presence of a cloaking spell.

My pulse spiked, my heart pounding in my ears. Someone was there, watching me, hidden behind a spell of invisibility. I scanned the trees again, searching for any sign of movement. Nothing was there. The spell I sensed moments ago was gone.

Clenching my jaw, I pivoted and headed toward my cabin. I needed to contact my sisters with an update, especially now that I was going to be on the retrieval team.

I would deal with who was watching me later.